Railway construction



(No-Model.)

J. CLARK. RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION. No. 549,704. Patented Nov. 12, 1895.

ANDREW anaAnAMfPnow-umu.WAsmumNJi b.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH CLARK, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 549,704, dated November12, 1895.

Application filed rch 19, 1395- To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH CLARK, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of San Francisco, State of California,have invented an Improvement in Railway Construction; and I herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of thesame.

My invention relates to improvements in railway construction.

It consists, essentially, in an improved construction for rails andwheels adapted to travel thereon.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more complete explanationof my i11- vention, Figure 1 is a cross-section of my rail. Fig. 2 is anelevation of my track, showinga car-wheel in its relative position.

.The object of my invention is to provide rails and wheels so formedthat when running on a level or without any appreciable grade thesmooth-faced portion or tread of the wheel will travel upon acorresponding smooth-faced rail and when inclines or grades are to beovercome a toothed portion of the same wheel will engage with acorrespondingly-toothed portion of rails laid upon the grade, so thatthe tractile power will be correspondingly increased and slippage of thewheels will be prevented.

In the construction of my railway I employ two forms of rail. For levelportions and where slight grades are encountered any usual or ordinaryform of face of rail may be adopted.

For difficult grades the rails A are rolled or otherwise formed with aface B, of any suitable or usual construction, corresponding andcoinciding with those rails which are laid upon the level, and with anupwardly-projecting flange or portion 0 at the side of the face B, andthis portion 0 is rolled, cast, or formed with teeth, as shown at O, orthe teeth may be afterward formed.

The wheels D are constructed with the usual tread E and the flange F onthe inner side. They are also formed with an outwardly-projectingportion, and upon this is secured by any suitable means an annulartoothed ring H, or the wheels may be cast with the toothed portionintegral with the rest of the wheel. This ring is of such diameter thatunder or- Serial No. 542,396. (No model.)

and as this portion projects above the ordinary face of the rail theteeth of the geared portion of the wheel will immediately engage theteeth of the rail, when all the power that is necessary can be appliedto the wheel-axles and be utilized, as there can be no slip while thegear and rack are in engagement.

Whenever the grade is passed and a comparatively level portion isreached, the toothed rails will cease and the ordinary rails take thewheels, which will again travel upon their usual face or tread, the gearside of the wheel being then above the rail and out of contact andservice.

In order to prevent the teeth upon the rails from being clogged withdirt and to insure their clearing themselves of such dust or dirt as mayfall or settle into them, I have shown them made deeper at the outsidethan upon the inside, as shown at c, the bottom of the channels betweenthe teeth on the inside next to the flat tread of the rail being of justsufiicient depth to receive the teeth of the gearwheel, while upon theoutside the channels are made considerably deeper, the incline beingsuch that any foreign matter would naturally jar or roll out, and thusleave the teeth comparatively clean.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desiretosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The improvement in railway construction consisting in the combinationof wheels having a tread adapted to run upon the face of an ordinaryrail, and flanges projecting upon the inner side thereof, a gearedportion projecting from the outer sides of the wheels having a diametersmaller than that of the tread portion, with rails having a face uponwhich the smooth tread of the wheel is adapted to travel, and a toothedportion projecting upwardly adapted to be engaged by the teeth of thewheel said toothed portion of the rail having the channels between theteeth made deeper upon one side than the other, substan tially as hereindescribed.

2. The improvement in railway construction consisting of wheels havingan essentially flat tread and a flange of larger diameter around theinner periphery, in combination with a toothed or geared portion ofsmaller diameter than the tread, projecting from the outer face of thewheel, and adapted to engage corresponding straight toothed racksprojecting upwardly at the outer side of the rail, said racks havingtheir channels declinin g downwardly and outwardly to provide for theautomatic discharge of dirt and foreign matter entering the channels.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JOSEPH CLARK.

\Vitnesses:

LEE D. CRAIG, II. NoUnsE.

